You want this to be the best year ever for your small business; however, as a busy entrepreneur, maybe you just haven’t had the time to give your business the attention it deserves. Or perhaps you have the time, but you’re feeling stuck on where to begin or what to do next. In this article, we’ll offer some advice for entrepreneurs who want to get in the right mindset to have the most successful year possible as a business owner.
Here are some tips for making this a great year for your business:
Tip #1… Get a Money-Making Mindset
After gaining clarity, it’s time to change your mindset. Start by changing the way you think about your business and the way you think about money. Many people suffer from imposter syndrome, especially when launching a new business. Many others have financial blocks and feel like they don’t deserve to charge what they’re actually worth, or think they’re not meant to make more than a certain income. By changing your money mindset, you can overcome these blocks, raise your prices, get more clients, and become more successful in your business. The key is to sell yourself as well as the product or service you are offering. Utilize social media and create a business website. If you aren’t putting yourself out there and creating a professional image, you should be.
Tip #2… Change Your Mindset Overall
Running a business is new and it can be scary if you’ve never done it before. Perhaps that’s why so many new business owners suffer from imposter syndrome – or feeling unworthy, not good enough, or like a fraud. A tip for fighting impostor syndrome is to focus on your strengths, gifts, talents, and everything you LIKE about yourself. This positive attitude gets you in the right mindset for entrepreneurship and for living your life. What’s something you’re great at? What’s your biggest talent? What are you really proud of? Confident entrepreneurs own their victories each day, no matter how small, and rely on internal rather than external validation for their worth.
Tip #3… Get Clear on What You Want
Author and career coach, Jenny Blake, left a successful career at Google to launch her own business and she’s never looked back! Jenny recommends using mind-mapping to get clear on your business goals (and your goals for all other aspects of your life) at the start of each year. Mind maps are diagrams that connect related bits of information around a specific topic. In this case, you could create a mind map around your business goals for the year. A broader mind map might include your desires for all aspects of your life, including family, friendships, health, fitness, and more.
Tip #4… Take a Break
A common theme among many entrepreneurs is the thought that you can’t step away no matter how short of a time it will be. However, how can you do your best work if you are too tired and burnt out? Even if it makes you cringe, it’s important to carve out time for a vacation. It’s as simple as walking away. Load up the car or book a flight. Not only do you deserve it, but you need time away. Your brain needs downtime to keep up with your workload, refocus your attention, restore motivation, and promote productivity. A vacation is the greatest gift you could possibly give yourself. You don’t have to go far and it doesn’t have to be for a big length of time, as long as you have time to reset and recharge.
As you embark on your business journey this year, remember that your business is more than just a hobby. It’s a way of life. It’s a passion project. It’s something you believe in. And it’s also the key to allowing you to live the life of your dreams. Keep your reasons for becoming a business owner in mind as you set goals for this year, and work toward your goals and your vision each day for business success.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash by Olu Eletu